Albuquerque bans crypto ATMs after scams cost New Mexicans millions

Albuquerque bans crypto ATMs after scams cost New Mexicans millions

Cryptocurrency ATMs will be prohibited within Albuquerque city limits under a newly approved ordinance aimed at preventing fraud.

Albuquerque city councilors have approved an ordinance banning cryptocurrency ATMs after officials said the machines were used in more than 100 scams across New Mexico last year.

The ordinance prohibits the installation and use of virtual-currency ATMs within Albuquerque city limits.

City officials said an estimated 109 crypto ATM scams were reported statewide in 2025, resulting in approximately $2.2 million in losses.

In March 2025, Albuquerque resident Judy Hartmann-Ortiz said she lost her $32,000 life savings after scammers posed as fraud representatives from Apple and Wells Fargo. They convinced her that her bank account had been hacked.

“I was fearful that I was going to lose every penny I had,” Hartmann-Ortiz said. “And I just thought they were telling the truth.”

Hartmann-Ortiz said the scammers kept her frightened, isolated and on the phone for roughly 13 hours over two days. They instructed her to withdraw her savings and deposit the cash into Bitcoin ATMs, falsely claiming the money would be protected in another account.